mike s.

I would like to buy Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band Live at Newport II (BMG Japan) LP-style slipcase $20. PM sent.

PM sent on charlie Christian - The Genius of the Electric Guitar (Sony/SME SRCS 9612) Japanese remastered reissue, w/obi $9

The cd's I bought arrived in fine condition - thanks for a smooth transaction.

CD arrived yesterday - looks brand new. Thanks for the careful packing & very fast shipping to Canada.

PM coming for Archie Shepp Horace Parlan "Goin' Home"

I just received the 3 cd's I bought - they arrived quickly and in perfect condition. Thanks

PM coming on Budget Columbia Ellington...

I got my cd today (Braxton Quintet Basel) - great packing job - thanks again.

PM sent re: Evan Parker - topography of the lungs

The cd I bought from Hans arrived yesterday - very fast shipping from Europe. It was the most carefully packed item I've ever received. Thanks Hans. Mike

PM send re: Ernest Tubb collectors choice

I've seen most of his films when they came out and at the time I thought they were great - particularly the first one - Stranger than Paradise. But recently I was watching one of the films (might have Mystery Train) again and, I dunno, I got totally bored halfway through. I thought to myself, why am I watching this? Other than there being some trendy 'rock star' types attempting to act, there is virtually no plot development, no character development, nothing ever happens - in fact, watching paint dry is more exciting. Even the soundtrack for Dead Man - western sounding electric guitar wanking - had been done better years ago by Ry Cooder for Paris, Texas. Today I would describe Stranger than Paradise as a 'cute' film rather than great. I just see Jarmusch as being another pretentious 'artiste' who has found an appropriate audience. I guess my tastes have changed over the years; either that or I'm not as gullible as I once was.

Rap and the attendant so-called "hiphop culture" (if you can call gangs of semi-literate thugs wearing baggy pants, waving guns, and using lots of drugs to be a "culture") is full of the glorification of violence, racism, and degrading attitudes towards women. This is the message. The fact that there are ocassionally more positive messages is the exception, not the rule. There is very little musical content, and comparisons to earlier forms of black music such as jazz or blues are pretty dubious, in my opinion. The fact that professors of "American studies" (what???) think otherwise says more about the current tate of higher education than anything else.

You might want to check out Stern's Music (www.sternsmusic.com), who have a large selection of African and other so-called world music items. The left side of their web page has some links to a variety of African music info sites of one kind or another.

I unfortunately have 3 digipak cd's with the same problem - broken spindles. While one of the three is a Verve product, I can't really put the blame on them. The fact of the matter is that all three were purchased used on-line and the spindles were somehow broken while in transit by the Post Office. I can only assume that the spindles are the weakest point (I am glad that they broke rather than the cd itself). I guess that what I am most interested in is repairing them. I realize that it would have to be done with some care - particularly when removing the broken digipak tray. As it would likely tear the cardboard base somewhat, using a black digipak tray as a replacement would likely be a better (or only?) choice. Does anybody out there have an experience or advice on this type of operation? And does anybody know where one can buy a few unmounted digipak trays?

Son-of-a-weizen - thanks for posting that incredible interview - far more in depth than the AAJ item I linked to. Rudy Van Gelder is truly an amazing man. I really admire the fact that he stays on top of technological developments in his particular field of interest and if they further his goal - good sounding recordings - he doesn't hesitate to use them. I think that many individuals, upon reaching that age, would be content to just stay 'living in the past'; resting on their laurels (which in his case, are considerable). In my humble opinion, there is in his life a lesson for all of us...

hi, I don't know how old he is, but he's been doing recordings since '53. If you're interested, there is an interview with him on the AAJ site - here: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=1116